UK: Govt. response to the Committee's report on Business and Human Rights 2017
...The Government expects that the UK National Action Plan should run, on the basis of its original and incremental commitments, until at least 2020. The Government would consider whether to update or devise a new plan on that timescale. This timeframe would also enable us to take account of a growing set of National Action Plans overseas, as well as other important initiatives, such as the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark and the UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework.
...The Government does not agree that the reporting requirements are weak. Every year, thousands of businesses must now publish an annual statement setting out the steps they have taken to ensure modern slavery is not taking place in their business and supply chains...
The Government has already taken steps to address the human rights implications of UK business activities overseas, including the publication and updating of our National Action Plan on business and human rights...
It is a Government priority to strike an agreement with the EU about the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, and UK citizens living in the EU, as early as we can.
The Government has also made a commitment to tackle illegal working and crack down on worker exploitation across all labour sectors. Retaining a strong and coordinated regime is the best way to protect workers’ rights....